1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to guided airborne vehicle delivery systems and, more particularly, to a guided personnel and cargo airborne delivery system that releases, guides and delivers a manned vehicle from an aircraft to a specific target area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common in the art to transfer personnel or cargo from an aircraft to a target on the ground via the use of parachutes. The tandem method of skydiving training delivers more than one person to a designated area. Particularly useful in the military, it is often necessary to deliver personnel from a high flying aircraft over enemy lines. However, getting people safely to the ground from the air is only half the battle. It has become essential to deliver people and/or cargo in a manned vehicle, which could simply land and be driven away with personnel and cargo aboard.
However, the prior art has been limited in its ability to delivery, from an aircraft, more than two people and/or equipment to a specific area with a single parachute. Due to unpredictable wind conditions, the module enclosing the vehicle can drift away from its intended target. To counteract this, aircraft must fly at lower altitudes to have a better chance of delivering its payload to its target. However, in a military scenario, this increases the chance of the aircraft being hit by enemy fire.
One problem inherent in most airborne vehicle delivery systems is that vehicles must be modified before being enclosed within a vehicle module or platform. It often takes several men, working several hours to modify the vehicle so that it may be fitted within the vehicle enclosure or platform. Needless to say, it is very expensive and impractical to purchase vehicles only to completely rework them in order to adapt them to common airborne delivery systems.
Another problem associated with airborne vehicle delivery systems is the length of time it takes to release the vehicle from its enclosure, upon landing. Although the military advertises that their airborne delivery systems allow you to xe2x80x9cDrive It On, Drive It Offxe2x80x9d, in actual practice, upon landing, the ground personnel must go through a lengthy and complicated process of detaching the vehicle from its enclosure or platform before they are able to drive the vehicle away. Of course, in a military scenario, where speed is essential, this is not a practical way of delivering military vehicles, cargo and personnel.
What is therefore needed in the art is a guided airborne vehicle delivery system which can deliver a vehicle with a plurality of personnel and/or equipment to a specific target area from high altitude with the use of a single parachute, wherein the vehicle, upon landing, can be easily detached from its parachute and simply driven off. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings that the present invention is directed.
The present invention provides a personnel-guided airborne vehicle delivery system which can be used to safely and accurately deliver an ordinary manned vehicle with personnel and/or cargo aboard, from a high-flying aircraft in flight, to a precise target or location on the ground, wherein the vehicle, upon landing, can be quickly and easily detached from its parachute and driven away.
In the preferred embodiment, the guided airborne delivery system generally consists of a vehicle module for housing a standard vehicle, the module being adjustable in size to house different-sized vehicles, and further comprises a plurality of vehicle attachment brackets, a large, xe2x80x9cram-airxe2x80x9d type gliding parachute affixed to the module, a xe2x80x9cdroguexe2x80x9d parachute and a xe2x80x9cfly-by-wirexe2x80x9d control system.
The guided airborne delivery system provides a method of aerial delivery of vehicles, personnel and/or cargo under a ram-air canopy from an aircraft to a final landing target at a predetermined landing area on the ground.
A motorized vehicle with equipment and trained personnel on board is enclosed within a cage-like module. The module exits a high-flying aircraft, generally as high as 25,000 feet. Upon exit, a stabilization xe2x80x9cdroguexe2x80x9d parachute is static-line deployed. The manned vehicle falls under the stabilizing drogue until released by the on-board driver and/or an automatic activation device (AAD). Release of the drogue deactivates the releasable locking plate on the bottom of the container/deployment bag, allowing the main parachute to be extracted. The main parachute is generally deployed at approximately 5,000 ft. above ground level (AGL). The driver can operate a steering system, generally comprised of servos that allow the steering of the ram-air main parachute, until the module and vehicle enclosed therein land safely at the designated target area. The steering system can also be controlled by a GPS operated device. During descent, the driver can start the vehicle""s engine. Upon landing, the parachute can be released and the vehicle driven away.
The cage-like module is comprised of modular components and can be adjusted to house virtually any sized vehicle that can fit within the space constraints of the aircraft. The vehicle, typically an ATV, requires no modification. It is simply secured within the module at various points, typically the front and back and beneath the vehicle. The upper portion of the module provides protection and restraint for the on board driver(s).
The present invention is a low maintenance airborne transport vehicle that can provide, for example, military services with groundbreaking capabilities and greatly expand the range of tactical support. The apparatus of the present invention can be dropped with any combination of driver plus riders, and/or cargo, up to a weight dictated by the size of the main parachute, (for example, a 1200 sq. ft. parachute is limited to 1650 lbs.). It is designed with a built-in flexibility to meet required airborne-delivery requirements. The present invention is designed to be completely mobile even with the entire parachute system rigged and ready to exit the aircraft. The parachute system can be hooked up (rigged) off site such as in a hanger, and then simply driven into the aircraft. The module is designed to be a useful part of the vehicle even after landing. The cage-like module can be removed from the vehicle in a matter of minutes, or in a preferred application, can be left on the vehicle for future drops and utilized for mission specific tasks on the ground, such as mounting supplies, weapons, instruments, or the like. The vehicle is fully functional with the cage-like module attached.
The apparatus is low-profiled and streamlined, allows for the passage of air, and provides unlimited cargo tie-down locations. The apparatus also allows for the in-flight training of personnel, by re-configuring a module that seats two or more persons on an ATV.
In the preferred embodiment, the guided airborne vehicle delivery system comprises a vehicle module for housing a vehicle, wherein the module is adjustable in size to house different-sized vehicles, the module further comprises vehicle attachment means such as a plurality of bolts and clamps affixed at various attachment points on the module, a parachute member preferably a large xe2x80x9cram-airxe2x80x9d, type gliding parachute affixed to the module, and means for stabilizing the module during freefall.
Preferably, the attachment points along the module include at least an attachment point situated underneath the vehicle, an attachment point situated in front of the vehicle and an attachment point situated in back of the vehicle.
The module is comprised of a plurality of modular components adjustably interconnected with each other. Preferably, the means for stabilizing the module during freefall is a drogue parachute member attached to the parachute member. The vehicle enclosed in the module is preferably a manned, fully operational motorized vehicle, such as an ATV or SUV.
Upon landing of the module, the manned vehicle can be quickly and easily detached from the parachute member by pulling a release handle. The vehicle, containing personnel, and/or cargo, can then be driven away.
The drogue parachute and the ram-air type gliding parachute can be activated in a number of ways. For example, the drogue parachute can be static line deployed by dropping the vehicle out of an in-flight aircraft, or it can be hand deployed from inside an in-flight aircraft serving as an extraction device.
The ram-air type gliding parachute is activated upon the release of the drogue parachute member. This can be done manually via the on-board rider pulling a handle, or it can be done automatically via a parachute activation device (AAD) located on the main parachute container.
In an alternate embodiment, a non-motorized transport vehicle is provided, which includes similar parachute and steering capabilities as the preferred embodiment. Here, the vehicle is integrated with the cage-like module into one unit. The integrated vehicle-module unit comprises wheels, seats, and personnel safety restraints, a ram-air type gliding parachute affixed to the unit in a plurality of locations, means for stabilizing the unit during freefall such as the drogue parachute described above, and.means for steering the unit during parachute descent.
Upon landing, the ram-air parachute member is released as described above, and the unit can be hooked to a motorized vehicle on the ground via a trailer attachment. The motorized vehicle can be delivered, for example, via the method of the preferred embodiment of the invention.
The apparatus described in the alternate embodiment can be navigated during parachute descent via the onboard human pilot or a GPS control device. This allows the aerial delivery device to be guided to a designated landing site. The pilot and personnel are encapsulated within the module which provides protection to the occupants during exit from the aircraft, descent and the landing phase of the flight. The module is designed such that each occupant can easily egress the module in flight in the event of an emergency.
The apparatus in the preferred embodiment can be steered by an onboard pilot to its intended landing area by rotary actuators, each controlling a steering line. The steering lines are attached to a spool located on each actuator. The movement of the spool by the actuator causes the steering lines to wind in or out, thus allowing the pilot to safely and accurately guide the apparatus to a landing target.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a personnel guided aerial delivery system that includes a cage-like module that can house virtually any sized vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a personnel guided aerial delivery system which can safely deliver a manned vehicle under a ram-air canopy from a high-flying aircraft to a predetermined landing area.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a personnel guided aerial delivery system which provides encapsulated protection for its occupants during exit, descent and landing.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an aerial delivery system which is controlled by an occupant.
It is an even further object of the present invention to provide an aerial delivery system which is reusable and requires relatively minimum maintenance.